How To Break A Heart
by JennyLynn2012
Summary: Riley McPherson moved to Mystic Falls to escape a dark past. Vampires, witches, and curses, are the least of her worries. She's just trying to survive her own life. Alaric & Jeremy are the first ones to notice that she's in danger. But she refuses to admit that something is wrong. Can the gang of Mystic Falls save her before it's too late? OC (Abuse) Possibly OC/Damon
1. Chapter 1

"_911, what's your emergency?" a dispatcher said. _

"_He's in my house," I cried. _

"_Who's in your house?" she asked. _

"_My step father," I said. "He's going to kill me."_

"_Are you alone?" she asked. _

"_Yes," I said. "Oh my god, he's coming up the stairs."_

"_Miss, I want to you to hide somewhere for me, ok?" she asked. "In a closet or under the bed."_

"_I'm under the bed," I whimpered. "He's getting closer." _

"_Police are on their way," she informed me. "Just stay as quiet as you can."_

"_Please help me," I cried. _

"_Help is on the way," she promised. _

_When I heard the door open, I squeezed my eyes shut. He was walking around slowly, that I could tell. My heart was pounding so loud I thought he could hear it. Then his footsteps stopped. For a second I thought I was safe and I let out a soft sigh. _

_All of a sudden I felt hands grab onto my ankles and I screamed. As he dragged me out I kept screaming and started to try and kick him._

_I was so terrified I could barely understand what was happening. He hands his hands wrapped around my throat, bringing me up from the floor, and slamming back down, causing my head to hit hard on the floor. Black spots started forming in my vision, and then I felt his hands loosen. Air was rushing back into my lungs so fast I wasn't able to see him pull out a giant knife from his back. _

_Then I saw it, as he held it over me, ready to end my mere existence. I was speechless. This isn't how I wanted to die. Just as he was going to go for the kill, a shot rang out, and a small blood red dot appeared in his chest. _

_Everything seemed to slow down. His mouth hung open in shock as he looked down at his chest. But then like someone hit the fast forward button, the knife clattered to the floor and he just collapsed right on top of me. _

_That's when I started hyperventilating. He was dead, and he was on top of me. And then all of a sudden he wasn't. An officer had pulled him off of me and carefully dragged me away. _

"_It's over now," he said. "He can't hurt you anymore. You're safe."_

Gasping, I shot out of my bed. I couldn't breathe, and my chest ached. I put a hand over my mouth as I cried, not wanting to wake my mom. After I was able to control my breathing, I walked into the bathroom and turned on the cold faucet. I just needed some cool water to help calm me down, so I thought. But it didn't help much. So, I grabbed my flip flops and headed out of my room directly out of the house. Maybe if I just walked around, I could clear my head. I didn't know where I was going, I just kept walking.

This happens almost every night. I have that awful dream, wake up in panic, and then have an anxiety attack. Only it's not a dream. It's a memory, one I will never forget. No matter what I do, it's engraved into my mind.

I suppose it doesn't help that my mother never lets me forget. Actually, that's probably the worst part. She blames me for it. Now she can't even look at me without getting angry or sad. It was even too hard for her to live in the house where everything happened. That's why we moved here to Mystic Falls.

My hope was that if she no longer had to look at our old house anymore, maybe looking at me would me a little easier. Maybe she could finally forgive me. Only wishful thinking.

In the two days that we've been here, she hasn't once come out of her room, not even to eat. I take her food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but she doesn't eat much of it. Luckily, for her, tomorrow is my first day of school. She won't have to deal with me for seven hours.

By the time morning rolled around, I had only gotten a few hours of sleep. Honestly, I felt like shit. I just wanted to curl up in my bed, fall asleep, and not wake up. But I couldn't do that, so I got out of the comfort of my bed, and made my way into the bathroom. Within forty-five minutes, I showered, styled my hair, did my make-up, and got dressed.

Then I began my walk to school. It took me about fifteen minutes to get there and only a couple to find the office.

"Excuse me?" I said to the lady at the desk. "It's my first day here."

"Oh! You must be Riley Perrin!" she smiled. Hearing the last name made me want to puke. I swear if I had anything in my stomach I probably would have.

"No!" I objected. "I think there's been a mistake. My last name isn't Perrin, it's MacPherson."

"My apologies," she said. "Your mother filled out the papers, and wrote Perrin as her last name. We just assumed it was the same."

"It's not," I said quietly.

"Ok, well," she said. "Just give me a few minutes to correct it in the system, and then I'll have a new set of papers for you."

"Thank you," I said.

After I let out a breath, I sat down in a chair next to her desk. What a great way to start the day. Not.

"All done," she exclaimed. "Now here is a list of your classes, and here is your locker number and code. You may also find this map of the school helpful."

"Thank you," I said and turned to walk away.

Now I just had to find my first period before the bell rang. Just my luck, it rang right as I thought that. Great, just great. Now when I walk into the class, everyone's eyes will be on me. Fantastic. But let's not get ahead of myself, that's if I even find it.

"Stupid map," I muttered. I couldn't even find where I was on it. So, it was useless. Just as I let out a frustrated sigh, I ran smack dab into someone. Unlike the other person, I went flying to the floor, also sending my bag to the floor, spilling everything.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," someone apologized.

"It's ok," I said. "It was my fault. I really need to watch where I'm going."

"You're new here, aren't you?" he asked, helping me gather my things.

"Yeah," I laughed. "I'm Riley."

"Jeremy," he nodded. "Are you lost?"

"As much as I hate to admit it," I laughed. "Yes. I'm sort of directionally challenged."

"What's your first class?" he laughing.

"Umm," I said pulling out my program card. "History, with Mr. Saltzman, room 146."

"That's where I'm heading right now," he smiled.

"Awesome," I smiled. "At least I know one person. So what's the teacher like?"

"He's pretty cool. Our old teacher was an ass," he said.

"What happened to him?" I asked curiously.

"Attacked by and animal," he said.

"Oh," I said.

"But Mr. Saltzman is nothing like him," he said. "When he started working here he let me do extra credit so I could raise my grade and get back on track."

"He sounds like a good guy," I noted.

"We're here," he said. "You ready?"

"About as ready as I'll ever be," I gulped.

"Don't worry, I got your back," he promised. I smiled up at him appreciatively and then he opened the classroom door.

"Jeremy," the teacher said. "Who's this?"

"Your new student you thought didn't exist," Jeremy laughed.

"Sorry," Mr. Saltzman apologized to me. "When the office said I was getting a new student from Los Angeles, I didn't really believe them, especially when you didn't show up."

"That's my fault," I said. "I got lost. But Jeremy here saved the day."

"Well," he said. "Welcome to my class. You can take a seat next to Jeremy if you'd like."

Class passed by slowly, but pleasantly. It was nice to be able to focus on something other than my screwed up life.

"Riley!" Mr. Saltzman called after the bell rang. "Can I see you for a moment?"

"Yeah," I sighed. Everyone had already filed out of class.

"If you don't mind me asking," he began. "What made you decide to move from Los Angeles to Mystic Falls?"

"My mom wanted a change of scenery," I shrugged.

"So it's just you and your mom?" he asked.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Ok," he said. "Well I was going over your transcripts from your last school. It seems that you were doing very well. However, there was a period of three weeks that you didn't go to school. Do you mind telling me what happened?"

"Family problems I guess you could say," I sighed.

"I only bring it up, because a lot of absences like that can affect your grade," he said. "So if there's ever a problem, you can always come to a school official, and we can arrange some take home assignments."

"I understand," I nodded. "But it won't happen here. Everything is back to normal. Can I go now?"

He nodded his head and I turned to leave.

"Oh and Riley," he called out.

"Yeah?" I asked turning back.

"If you ever need anything," he smiled. "My door is always open."

"Thank you," I nodded.

The rest of the day went by slowly. As I was walking out of the school to head home, Jeremy ran up next to me.

"Hey, I was wondering," he asked. "Do you want to go get a burger with me? There's this place called Mystic Grill just a few minutes away."

"I'd love to," I smiled. "I'm starving."

"You didn't eat lunch?" he asked as we walked.

"I saw the cafeteria food," I said. "But then decided my stomach had nothing wrong and chose not to torture it."

"Probably a smart move," he laughed.

"So how do you like Mystic Falls so far?" he asked as we walked into Mystic Grill.

"It's pretty nice," I said. "Definitely a big change from LA, but I like it."

"Hey Jer," a guy with blonde hair said. "Just two?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Riley this is Matt, he's a friend of mine and my sister. Matt this is Riley, she's new to town."

"Nice to meet you Riley," Matt smiled, shaking my hand.

"You too," I said, as he led us to a booth.

"Can I get you guys something to drink?" he asked.

"Coke," Jeremy said.

"Me too," I nodded.

"Alright I'll be back with your drinks and to take your order," Matt said and walked away.

After Jeremy and I ate, he introduced me to his sister, Elena, and her two friends Bonnie and Caroline and her boyfriend, Stefan. I liked them a lot. Soon after, I said my goodbyes, and headed home.

I didn't bother to call out to my mom that I was home because I knew she didn't care. I just walked straight back to my room and locked the door. I didn't need her coming in here drunk off her ass and antagonizing me.

After I flipped my lights on, I pulled out my schoolbooks so I could get started on homework. The only teacher who gave me homework was my English teacher. All I had to do was read a couple chapters of this book that they were reading.

By the time, I finished reading it was about eight and I was getting hungry again. However, I had two problems. The first one being that I didn't want to go into the living room and see my mom because I knew she was probably drinking. The second problem being that even if I did go out there, there was a 99.9 percent chance there wasn't any food to begin with.

So, instead I just got ready for bed. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep so I slipped my ear buds in and began listening to The Fray. They were my favorite band ever. I like a lot of country and indie music. Pop and rap were my least favorite genres. But I still had a few exceptions.

Eventually I managed to fall asleep.

**Authors Note:**

So what'd y'all think? I've had this story in my computer for the longest time. So now I'm going to be working on it a lot more.

BTW I'm not sure how old Riley is going to be. She's the same age as Jeremy, but I don't know exactly where I'm starting this story. That'll come out within the next chapter probably.

Emma Roberts is playing Riley.


	2. Chapter 2

It's been about a week since I moved here to Mystic Falls. Honestly, I'm not doing great. I guess I'm just having a hard time adjusting. Everything is so quiet here. I mean back in the city there was always noise, especially because I lived next to an airport, a train station, and a college fraternity house. It was never quiet, but I liked it that way. Without the noise, I'm left alone with my own thoughts, and that's a very scary place.

That's why I had some type of screamo music blasting in my ears while I sat alone at lunch. I hated screamo music, but it was loud, and I needed that. Jeremy had invited me to sit with at lunch but I said I wasn't feeling well and needed to get some air.

So, here I sat, alone, staring at my school lunch, which was disgusting by the way. I was trying to work up the courage to eat it because I was starving. My mom hadn't bought any groceries. If she was hungry then she went out for something, but didn't bring me anything. I knew better than to ask her for anything. The only food I was ever going to get was this piece of meatloaf that looked like it was coming alive.

"Are you ok, Riley?" Elena asked me, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh," I stuttered. "I'm fine."

"Really?" she asked. "Cause you look like you were in a staring contest with a piece of...whatever that is. You're not seriously going to eat that, are you?"

"It's not that bad," I shrugged, taking a bite. Oh, dear god, it tastes like someone already ate it and puked it up.

"Yeah, sure," she said laughing.

"Did you need something?" I asked, putting a smile on my face. I wasn't exactly in the mood for…people.

"Yeah, actually," she began, "I was just talking to Bonnie and Caroline, and we were thinking about having a girls night at my house. We were wondering if you'd like to come. It's be really nice to get to know you better."

"Ok," I said. "When?"

"How about tonight?" she asked. "We can order pizza, do girl stuff, and then you guys can spend the night."

"Alright, it sounds like fun," I smiled.

"Great!" she smiled. "How about I pick you up around six?"

"Oh you don't have to do that!" I shook my head. "I can find my way."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Cause you're not far from me at all."

"No it's ok," I nodded.

"Ok, then," she nodded his head. "We'll see you there."

After school ended, I walked home. As soon as I got in the door, I saw my mom on the couch, watching TV, with a beer in her hand. It wasn't even five o'clock yet. Shaking my head, I hurriedly walked to my room and shut my door.

Luckily, today I didn't have any homework to do, so I just hopped in the shower. When I got out, I did my hair and my make-up. All I have to say is thank god for concealer. Because of my lack of sleep, I had dark circles under my eyes. I got changed into a pair of cute jeans and a long sleeve shirt.

As I looked at my clock, I realized I better get going. My plan was just to walk to Elena's so I needed to leave now. I grabbed my bag and headed out of my room, fully intending on just walking out of the house. However, I was stopped by my mom.

"Where do you think you're going?" she hissed. Oh boy. Looking around I could see she had more than just one beer.

"My friend, Elena, invited me over for a sleepover," I said softly. I never bothered to check with her because I knew she didn't care. Hell, she'd prefer me gone.

"Yeah, right," she scoffed. "Like you could actually make a friend."

I stayed quiet. I was not about to get into an argument with her.

"I hope for her sake, you're lying," she said and walked away. "Poor girl doesn't know what she's getting herself into."

Sighing I walked out the door, shutting in softly behind me. For a few seconds, all I could do was stand there, gripping the doorknob. I just wanted to cry. How could she say those things to me? I mean, did being her daughter count for nothing?

Shaking my head, I started walking to Elena's. It took me about fifteen minutes to get there. Once I rang the doorbell, she opened the door.

"Hey Riley! You're right on time!" she smiled, stepping aside to let me in.

"Thanks for inviting me," I said.

"No problem," she said. "We're really glad you came."

"Riley!" Caroline shouted and ran over to hug me.

"Hi Caroline!" I laughed.

"I'm so glad you're here!" she said. "Now you can help us decide what movie to watch!"

"Oh, actually I brought a movie just in case," I said, pulling it out of my bag.

"Oh my god! I love A Cinderella Story!" she shouted.

"Seriously?" I laughed. "It's my favorite movie."

"Pizza is here!" someone shouted. A few seconds later, a woman walked in with a pizza. She looked like she was in her twenties and she had long strawberry blonde hair.

"Riley, this is my aunt Jenna," Elena introduced me. "Jenna this is Riley, she's new in town."

"It's nice to meet you Riley," she smiled.

"You too," I said.

"Ok, do you guys need anything?" she asked. "I'm about to head out."

"Nope, we're good," Elena said.

"Alright, you girls have fun," she waved. "Call me if you need anything."

Just then, the doorbell rang and Jenna went to answer it. You can imagine my surprise when my history teacher showed up at the door.

"Is that-?" I began to ask confused.

"He's dating Jenna," Elena said before I could even finish.

"Weird," I muttered.

"You get used to it," Bonnie laughed.

A few minutes later, we all settled down on the couch, eating pizza and watching A Cinderella Story.

"Why did your parents decide to move in the middle of the semester?" Caroline asked. "That's got to be like socially traumatic for you."

"Well, my mom," I said, "needed a change of scenery. So she just picked the first place she noticed on the map, and here we are."

"Did you want to move?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah, I guess," I shrugged. "I didn't really have any friends back in LA, so I wasn't leaving behind much."

"What about your family?" Elena asked concerned.

"My mom is an only child and her parents past away before I was born," I said. "So I didn't really have any family."

"I take it your dad isn't in the picture," Elena said hesitantly.

"No," I shook my head. "He died when I was a baby. I don't really remember him."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "I shouldn't brought it up."

"No, it's ok," I said. "It's not a sensitive subject for me. I mean how can you miss someone you don't even remember?"

"Let's change the subject!" Caroline laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Met any cute boys?"

"Please don't say my brother!" Elena groaned.

"No! He's been really nice and helpful, but we're just friends," I laughed. "I haven't really seen anyone that sparked my interest yet."

"What if I were to set you up with someone?" Caroline asked excited.

"A blind date?" I scoffed. "I don't think so."

"Oh come on!" she pleaded. "It'll be so much fun! And I promise he'll be hot!"

"You might as well just save yourself the time, and give in now," Bonnie laughed. "Because she won't."

"Ok, fine," I smiled.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she hugged me. "You won't regret this."

"I doubt that," I muttered.

"I'm home," I heard someone shout. I think it was Jeremy.

"We're in here," Elena shouted.

"Oh! Cool, pizza!" he said grabbing a slice.

"I thought you weren't coming home tonight?" she asked.

"Changed my mind," he shrugged. "Besides your lucky I'm here. You need something to liven up this party."

I laughed.

"No way, Jeremy!" Elena said. "This a girls night only, so scram!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" he laughed. "Well, Riley, if they start to bore you, my door is open."

"Thanks Jeremy," I laughed.

After Jeremy left, the girls started to tell me about their group of friends.

I found out that Elena used to date Matt, the guy who seated me and Jeremy at the Grill. But they broke up when her parents died. But then when Stefan moved back to town, she got with him, and they've been dating since. Caroline also just recently broke up with Matt because 'they didn't fit together well'. As far as I could tell Bonnie hadn't been seeing any one recently.

They also told me that Stefan had a brother named Damon, and that I should stay clear of him. They wouldn't tell me why though.

We didn't end up falling asleep until like one in the morning. Sadly, after only two hours of sleep, I was awake. Too many thoughts were running through my head. I just needed to get some air, so I walked out the front door and sat on the porch. For once, the silence was welcomed. The air was clean and crisp. I finally felt like I could breathe.

"Room for one more?" Jeremy asked, starling me.

"Yeah," I said softly, scooting over.

"So what's got you up this late?" he asked.

"Too much going on in my head," I confessed.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked concerned.

"It's just," I sighed, at a loss for words. "I guess I miss the way things used to be with me and my mom. We used to be happy. But lately, all we do is fight."

"What do you guys fight about?" he asked.

"Stupid stuff," I said, not wanting to elaborate. "Mistakes I've made or crappy decisions. She just won't let me forget it. She always has something rude to say, even when I don't say anything at all. And it sucks because she's my mom and I love her to death, but sometimes I just want to scream at her and tell her how I really feel about her."

"Well, maybe, instead of going off on her, or even thinking about it," he suggested. "You should try out the old saying 'Kill her with kindness.'"

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Whenever she says or does something hurtful to you," he explained. "Show her an act of love. Say something nice or do something thoughtful."

"I guess I could try that," I nodded. "Thanks Jeremy."

"It's what I'm here for," he smiled.

"I better get back to sleep," I said standing up. "I have interview with the Grill tomorrow."

"Oh really?" he asked surprised. "Well I'll have Matt put in a good word for you."

"Really?" I asked.

"Absolutely," he affirmed.

"Thank you so much Jeremy," I said. "You know when I first got here I thought it was going to be really hard, but you and all of your friends have made it so much easier."

"We're all here for you," he said.

"Goodnight Jeremy," I smiled and kissed his cheek. Before you get your panties in a bunch, it was just a friendly kiss.

"Night Riley," he said.

The next morning I went in for my interview, and after the manager talked to me for a few minutes, he hired me. Because of Matt's recommendation and the fact that they were short staffed, he started me right away.

I spent the entire day bussing tables, and watching Matt take orders. The manager said that if I was good, he'd fast track me to a waiter because I had a cute face, and the customers would love me. For the most part, my shift went great, but I didn't get off until about eleven pm.

As I was walking home, I kept getting this strange feeling that I was being followed. But I brushed it off as me being paranoid. Sighing, I crossed my arms trying to keep warm. All I was wearing was a pair of jeans, a short sleeve, shirt and a thin sweater. I should have been wearing a jacket, but sadly, I didn't own one. Buying me clothes wasn't my mother's number one priority.

All of a sudden I heard whoosh behind me and I turned my ahead around. As expected, no one was there. I was awfully, surprised however when I turned back around and a tall handsome guy was staring down at me.

"Holy crap," I breathed out. He had black hair and bright blue eyes.

"You know a girl your age shouldn't be out this late at night," he smirked.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I shrugged unamused, walking ahead.

"Well for starters you could get kidnapped," he said like it was obvious, walking beside me.

"Not my biggest problem," I said.

"Someone could kill you," he said trying to scare me. "They could end you just like this."

And he snapped his fingers.

"Yeah? Who?" I asked, stopping to stare at him. "You?"

"I could," he said, getting within inches of my face.

"Go for it," I said looking him straight in his eyes.

I saw a flicker of something in his eyes. I'm not sure if it was shock or what. But I don't think he expected me to practically dare him to kill me, and have me be so emotionless about it.

"What's your name?" he asked in a softer voice.

"Riley," I said.

"I'm Damon," he said.

That's when I remembered Elena had told me to stay clear of Damon. Oops.

"They warned me about you," I laughed.

"Who?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie," I said.

"And yet you're still talking to me," he said.

"I make my own decisions," I said. "Besides, you can't be that bad."

For a second he looked amused and almost pleased. Before I could say anything else he had taken off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

"You know for a potential killer," I said, "You're actually sort of nice."

"Yeah well, if you tell anyone, I'll deny it," he said.

"Don't worry," I laughed. "Your secret is safe with me. Not like they'd believe me anyways."

"Goodnight, Riley," he said stepping aside.

"Night, Damon," I said and began walking home.

~Third Person P.O.V.~

It's very often that someone shocks Damon Salvatore to his core. However, Riley did just that.

She wasn't so much fearless, as she was reckless. She knew perfectly well that he or anyone else could kill her, torture her even. Yet, she seemed to not just care, but also, almost welcome it, like she had a death wish. But maybe she did.

And Damon could see that. That's why he wanted to get to know her better.


	3. Chapter 3

All I wanted to do was bang my head against a wall. On top of school being extremely boring, I was so hungry. The last real meal I had was at Elena's when she bought us pizza. The only thing I got on Saturday was a container of fries I stole from work. However, Sunday, I didn't get anything. There was literally no food in my kitchen. Only water and orange juice. Honestly, the orange juice was the only thing keeping my blood sugar from crashing and making me pass out.

Now it was Monday. I was starving and waiting for lunch to come around. But it was only first period, and I had the most boring subject ever to start out in the morning, history. I mean it's just history. It's done, it's over, move on. Don't get me wrong, Mr. Saltzman is a great teacher. But history, BOOORINNNG.

"Riley," I heard someone call my name.

"Hmm?" I asked coming out of my thoughts.

"Bell rang," he said. Glancing around, I realized everyone had already left the classroom.

"Oh," I said and gathered my stuff.

"Hey! Wait!" he called as I walked to the door.

"Yes?" I sighed.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine, Mr. Saltzman," I nodded.

"Are you sure? Cause you kind of seemed out of it today," he said not believing me.

"I'm sure," I nodded.

"Ok," he said. "If you need anything, my door is open."

Hours later, lunch finally rolled around. Since I was so hell bent on getting food, I practically ran to the cafeteria. Luckily, since I was there early I got the good food. Or at least as good as you can get when it comes to the cafeteria. It was chicken nuggets, fries, and an apple, with milk. Sadly, I have to say that's the best meal I've gotten since I moved here, minus the pizza. Instead of eating the apple, I saved it for tonight.

Then it was back to class. I was sitting in my last class of the day, which I had with Elena, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, and Matt. It was actually one of my favorite classes English, but I just couldn't pay attention. I don't even know what we were reading.

Shivering, I rubbed my arms. The stupid teacher had cranked up the air conditioning. Finally, I couldn't take the cold anymore and pulled out Damon's jacket I had brought with me. My plan was to find him tonight and give it back to him. But I might as well use it while I've got it.

As I was pulling it on Elena looked over at me and had somewhat shocked look on her face, which she quickly covered up. Vaguely, I could hear whisper something to Stefan. Then he looked over at me and said something back to Elena. Whatever the hell, was going on, I didn't really care. They were acting weird and I wanted no part of it.

_Rinngg Rinngg_

Just like that, my eight hours of torture was over. Now I had to rush over to the Grill and start a six-hour shift.

"Hey! Riley! Wait up!" Stefan shouted.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Are you ok?" he asked looking me in the eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I nodded. "Why?"

"Just curious," he said. "Is that your jacket? It looks awfully big on you."

"A friend leant it to me," I shrugged, beginning to walk away.

"Would this friend happen to be named Damon?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes," I sighed. "Why do you care so much? It's just a jacket."

"Riley, you need to listen to me," he urged, blocking me from walking. "Damon is a dangerous guy, you need to stay away from him."

"I can take of myself," I said and stepped around him. Before I could take another step, he had grabbed my arm to stop me.

"I'm not saying you can't," he said. "But Damon's my brother, I know him."

"Look," I said frustrated. "All he did was give me his jacket because I was cold. So chill."

"And he didn't do anything else?" he pressed. "He didn't threaten you?"

"Oh, wait, I just remembered," I said seriously. "He said if I didn't return his jacket my six pm, he'd rip my head off."

He was utterly shocker. Did he honestly believe me?

"It's a joke," I said and stepped past him again.

"Just be careful," he said.

"Whatever," I muttered.

"Riley!" Matt called for me. "I'm swamped. Can you take these over to table seven."

"Sure," I nodded, and took the two plates he was holding.

Table seven. Ugh. That's where Stefan was currently sitting with Elena.

"Here you go," I said and plopped the plates down, not caring that a few fries fell off Stefan's plate.

"Thanks Riley," Elena smiled. "Hey do you need a ride home after work?"

"No," I shook my head. "I'm good."

"Are you sure?" she asked. Just as she asked that, I saw Damon enter the grill.

"I can take care of myself," I stated.

"Riley don't-" Stefan started.

"Goodbye," I cut him off.

The rest of my shift was uneventful. I tried to stay away from Damon while Stefan was there. Sadly, Stefan didn't leave until it closing time. I mean, Stefan wasn't going to keep me from Damon, but I'd prefer not to get into too many times with him about the subject.

By the time I left, it was almost nine o'clock. Now I had to walk home. Just as I had started walking down the street, a car pulled up beside me.

"Need a ride?" Damon asked.

"It's ok, I don't mind walking," I said. It's not that I was afraid to get in, I just didn't want to put him out. It wasn't his responsibility to take care of me.

"Get in," he said. "I'm not going to let you walk home in the dark."

"Thanks," I sighed, getting in.

"Oh, here's your jacket," I said pulling it out of my bag.

"Keep it," he shrugged.

Why does everyone think he's such a bag guy? He's seem so nice to me.

"Why are you being nice to me?" I asked bluntly.

"Is it a crime?" he asked.

"No," I said softly. "It's just that everyone keeps warning me to stay away from you. They act like your this horrible person. So why are you being nice to me?"

"What can I say?" he shrugged. "You're much more tolerable than everyone else in this town."

"You don't even know me," I said staring at him. Suddenly we were in front of my house. "If your friends knew anything they'd be warning you about me."

He seemed shocked by my statement, but I didn't let him comment. I just got out of the car and rushed to the door to get in. Sighing, I shut and locked the door. I could see my mom passed out on the couch holding a half-empty bottle of vodka.

She was right. I didn't deserve to have friends. Everyone would be better off without me. I didn't deserve to have people be nice to me. I don't deserve to be happy. I don't deserve anything but loneliness and pain.

As soon as the first tear fell, I rushed to my mother's side and grabbed the bottle of vodka. She wouldn't notice it gone. Then I went to my room, turned the lights off, laid down in my bed, and took a big gulp of the vodka. It didn't even sting going down.

A half an hour later I had finished it, and the edge I was feeling was finally gone. For once, I didn't feel like my entire was crashing down. Everything just felt, still. I wasn't hearing my mother's insults about me on repeat anymore. It was quiet.

Eventually I drifted off to sleep. It wasn't a pleasant sleep. But it wasn't filled with nightmares either. So overall, it was an improvement.

Waking up, I felt like my head was getting ready to explode. My mouth was dry, and my eyes were red and swollen from crying. Rolling over, I looked at my clock and realized it was already nine thirty am. Great, I was late for school.

Quickly, I got up and got changed. I didn't have time to shower. So I just put my hair up into a bun, put on some eyeliner and mascara, and sprayed some perfume. I wasn't going to put much effort into my appearance since I only had a couple hours of school left, and no work today.

Once I grabbed my bag, I walked out the door and began my journey to school. As soon as I got there, I headed to lunch, only to be greeted by Caroline. I was almost positive Stefan and Elena had warned her about my Damon encounter. I really didn't want another lecture.

"Hey, Riley," she smiled.

"Hi, Caroline," I smiled.

"Long night?" she raised her eyebrows.

"What gave it away?" I asked.

"Your breath smells like vodka, and your eyes are red," she said. "Do you need some Advil?"

"Yes, please," I begged. "My skull is on fire."

"Here you go," she said pulling some out from her bag.

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

"So what has you drinking on a school night?"

"Family stuff," I sighed. "Nothing to worry about."

"Ok," she nodded. "Oh, and Mr. Saltzman wants to see you, he told me to tell you, if you showed up today."

"Ok," I sighed. "I'll go get it over with now."

"I'll see you later," she said and hugged me.

"Mr. Saltzman," I called knocking on his door.

"Riley," he said opening his door, shocked. "I didn't think you'd show up today."

"You wanted to see me," I said avoiding his eyes.

"Yes," he nodded stepping aside. "Please, come in."

"If this is about this morning," I began. "I'm sorry, I just overslept."

"It's not just about this morning," he said. "You haven't really been paying attention much this past week, and your grade is starting to drop."

"Look, I'm sorry," I said, trying to think of an excuse. "I've just been tired."

Great excuse, Riley.

"Yeah, I can tell," he said. "You look like hell."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically turning around to leave.

"Wait, Riley," he grabbed my arm stopping me.

"What?" I sighed turning back.

"Is everything ok at home?" he asked concerned.

"Everything is fine, ok?" I asked frustrated.

"Alright, alright," he surrendered. "But you're still falling behind. You're going to need to get a tutor to catch up."

"Fine," I sighed. "Whatever will get you off my back."

"I already arranged for a tutor to meet you at your house after school," he said.

"Wait what?" I asked shocked. "You gave some stranger my address?"

"He's not a stranger ok?" he asked. "He's one of my best students, and he's a good guy."

"I don't care," I shook my head. "I'm not doing it at my house. Tell whoever it is, I'll meet them at the Grill after school."

"Deal," he caved.

"Bye," I said and left before he could say anything else.

After about ten minutes of waiting, I was just about to walk out. I didn't even want to be there in the first place and my tutor was late. As I was looking around, I noticed Stefan walk into the Grill and also being to look around. Great, just what I need right now. My hope was that he was here to see Elena and wouldn't bother me. But I was sadly, mistaken when he walked up to my table.

Before I could even ask him what he wanted, he just sat down in my booth. Talk about manners. Jeez.

Then it dawned on me.

"You have got to be kidding me," I scoffed. "You're my tutor?"

"I know I'm not your favorite person right now," he said. "But Mr. Saltzman really thinks I could help you."

"Fine," I sighed. "But I'm only doing this on one condition."

"Ok," he nodded. "What is it?"

"You stay out my personal life," I answered.

"Deal," he agreed. "Let's get started."

"We've been at this for two hours," I stressed. "Can we just call it quits for today?"

"Alright fine," he nodded. "But meet me here tomorrow at the same time and we'll pick up where we left off."

"No can do," I shook my head. "I have work tomorrow after school."

"You're sixteen years old," he said. "You should be focusing on school not working."

"I can meet you after work around ten," I said ignoring his last comment.

"Fine," he caved. "I'll come by your place."

"No!" I objected. "My mother doesn't allow visitors."

"Alright fine," he sighed. "I'll pick you up from work and we'll go to my place."

"Ok, see you then," I nodded and walked away to find Matt.

"Hey Matt!" I said walking up to him.

"Hey Riley!" he smiled. "I have your check."

"Thanks," I said and he handed it over to me.

"You have a car right?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," he laughed.

"Do you think you could do me a huge favor?" I smiled.

"Sure," he nodded. "What do you need?"

"A ride," I said. "Just to the grocery store and back."

"That's all?" he laughed.

"Yes please?" I said.

"I get off in about twenty minutes," he nodded. "Hang around and we'll go right after."

"Thank you so much!" I said and hugged him.

"Shouldn't your parents be doing the grocery shopping?" he asked as I loaded up the cart.

"My mother isn't exactly the motherly type," I said, hoping that'd explain it.

"Say no more," he sighed. "I know exactly what you're talking about."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows.

"I practically live by myself," he explained. "My mother is hardly ever around, and my dad is out of the picture so I'm on my own."

"My dad is out of the picture too," I nodded. "My mom is there, physically anyways. But she's sort of checked out emotionally."

"Is that why you're working so much?" he asked.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I guess we're alike in that way."

"I guess so," he nodded.

"Ok, I think I have everything," I said looking at the cart. I had gotten a few boxes of cereal, single serve microwaveable mac and cheeses, chips, Lipton Iced Tea, bread, peanut butter, apples, bananas, eggs, and milk.

"Let's check out then," he nodded.

Once we had checked out and loaded everything up in his truck we headed back to my house and he helped carry the groceries to the front door.

"I'd invite you in, but my mom doesn't allow visitors," I apologized.

"Don't worry about it," he laughed.

"Thank you so much for doing this," I smiled.

"No problem," he smiled. "I'll see you in school tomorrow?"

"Yes," I nodded.

After his car drove away, I opened the door and took all of the groceries that didn't need to be refrigerated to my room. I put the rest in the fridge. Since I was getting a hungry I made myself a PB&J. Then I got started on all of the homework I had, including the stuff Stefan gave me. When I was finally done, it was about ten pm so I went to bed. I just knew tomorrow was going to be a long day.

**Author's Note:**

Thank you to all my reviewers! It really encourages me to update more often.

PS. I still haven't decided where I'm starting at as for the show. It might be a bit AU as for a few character deaths that I don't want to happen, like Alaric. lol but other than that it should follow the series, I'm just having trouble deciding where to throw her in, if have any ideas let me know.


	4. Chapter 4

"Do you have any coffee?" I yawned as Stefan led me through his front door.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'll get a pot going."

"Holy crap," I said shocked. His house was like a mansion, a very creepy mansion. "You actually live here?"

"Yep, me and my brother," he nodded.

"It's awfully big for just the two of you," I noted.

"Well it's been in the family since it was built in 1914," he informed me. "It's actually a boarding house. We used to allow visitors to stay here but since Damon and I moved back to town, we kind of put a stop to that."

"D-did people die here?" I asked hesitantly.

"Well, I suppose," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," I shook my head. "It just has a really weird vibe to it. Like it's marked with death."

"What do you have spidy senses or something?" he laughed.

"No," I laughed back. "Don't you feel it?"

"No," he shook his head. "It's just a house."

"Never mind," I sighed. "I'm just being weird. So where's that coffee?"

"Coming right up," he said and disappeared, into what I assumed was the kitchen. A few minutes later, he brought me a large cup of coffee.

"I wasn't sure how you like your coffee," he said.

"Black, like my soul," I sighed.

"Let's get started," he laughed.

"Alright, I think you're all caught up," Stefan sighed, relaxing back on his couch.

"Good," I replied.

"Now just make you don't fall behind again," he said.

"No promises," I laughed. "Thanks for helping me Stefan. I mean it."

"What are friends for?" he asked. "Are we friends now?"

"I guess," I laughed. "As long as you promise not to bud into my personal life, then we're good."

"I promise," he said raising his hands up.

"I'm home," I heard someone shout. Stefan sighed.

"Hi Damon," I said softly.

"Riley," he smirked. "Need a ride home?"

"Actually I've got it covered," Stefan interjected.

"First of all I'm not an 'it'," I began glaring at him. "Second of all, we literally just discussed this."

"Fine," he nodded. "Just get her home safely Damon."

Honestly, Stefan looked like he wanted to rip Damon apart, and Damon seemed to be enjoying getting under his skin.

"Will do," he smirked, and then turned to me. "Let's go twerp."

"Night Stefan," I said and grabbed my bag.

"Night," Stefan said and walked away. As soon as Stefan was out of sight, Damon grabbed my bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Let's go," he said.

The entire ride back to my house was quiet, and I kind of liked it that way. When we finally got there I could see the lights on in my house a shadow walking around in the living room. That meant my mother was awake, and that wasn't a good thing.

"Everything ok?" he asked.

"Huh?" I asked, breaking out of my own thoughts. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the ride Damon."

Just like the other night, before he could get another word in, I hopped out of the car and walked up to the front door. I could tell he was waiting for me to walk inside but instead I just waved to him and made it seem like I was struggling for my keys. I didn't want my mom to see his car drive away. A few seconds later he waved and left. Then I walked inside.

"It's about time," my mom said flatly.

"I'm sorry I was out late," I said. "I've been getting tutored for History."

"Oh, I'm sure," she said sarcastically.

"I'm just going to go to bed," I sighed, ignoring her comment.

"No, you're not," she snapped. "The kitchen needs to be cleaned. Get started."

"Alright," I nodded and set my bag down on the floor.

The kitchen was a disaster. But it wasn't like it was my fault. I'm hardly ever home. All of the dishes in the sink were hers. All of the stains and caked on food on the stove was her fault. The overfilled trashcan was holding her empty beers bottles. But apparently it was my job to clean everything.

However, the last thing I wanted to do was start a fight with her, so I'd clean everything up just to make her happy.

I started with rinsing off the dishes in hot water. Then while I let them soak in the soapy water, I began to scrub down the counter tops and the stove. I went back to the dishes once I was finished and started scrubbing those. But half way through it my mom decided to come in and stand over me, just staring.

"You know if you're going to do it wrong you might as well not do it," she said nastily.

"How am I doing it wrong?" I asked frustrated.

"Don't use that tone with me!" she shouted.

"I didn't use any tone," I argued. "I don't know how Iit possible to wash dishes wrong."

"You know what?" she snapped. "Just move I'll do them!"

"It's fine mom," I tried. "I've got them."

"I said move!" she shouted pushing me roughly to the side and yanking my hands out of the water. Being that our kitchen was a U shaped, I slammed into the side of a counter and fell to the floor. As I was rubbing my bruised him I felt something sticky on my hand. Just my luck, when my mother had yanked my hands out of the water, I had been washing a knife, and so it had cut open the palm my hand. And well there was blood everywhere.

"What the hell is your problem?" she shouted, disgusted. "You're getting blood all over my floor!"

"I'm sorry," I hissed from the pain.

"Just get up!" she shouted, and grabbed my arm. "Get up! Go to the bathroom."

While she had a vice grip on my wrist, she dragged me into the bathroom so fast I almost tripped. Then she just slammed the door with me in there and left me to clean up my hand, which was still gushing out blood. For few seconds I just sat there, not really knowing what to do. The cut was really deep and it wasn't going to stop bleeding anytime soon. I knew I most likely needed stitches, but there was no way I could go to the hospital. That would just raise unnecessary red flags.

All I could really do was wrap up in gauze and hope it would stop bleeding. So, that's what I did. Then I collapsed in bed and fell asleep.

The next morning up I woke up and went to change the bandage around my hand. However, the dried blood made the bandage stick to the cut. The process was incredibly painful, even more then when I actually cut it, but I finally was able to peel the bandage off. Not without making, it bleed again though. After I attempted to clean it, I wrapped it back up with gauze and then got in the shower.

Luckily, I was able to wash my hair and body without getting my wounded hand wet. Don't get me wrong, though, it was a struggle. I let my hair air dry into my natural waves and used some hair care products. Then I did my make-up and got dressed.

Once I was done, I walked to school.

"Hey Jeremy," I greeted him, as I walked into first period.

"Hey Riley!" he smiled. "Woah! What happened to your hand?"

"Oh," I said. "It's nothing. Just cut my palm open when I was doing the dishes."

"Well, it's bleeding through the bandage," he said. "Maybe you should have it looked at."

"It's fine," I shook my head. "Don't worry about it."

"Alright but if they have to amputate your hand because of an infection don't come crying to me," he laughed.

"Thanks for the support," I said sarcastically.

"Do you have work today?" he asked.

"Not until five, why?" I asked.

"Let's hang out after school," he said. "Come to my house and we'll order pizza and play video games."

"You had me at pizza," I smiled.

"Riley!" I heard someone shout in the cafeteria.

"Hi Elena," I smiled, waving at her.

"Why don't you sit with us?" she offered. By 'us' she meant her, Caroline, and Bonnie.

"Ok," I said sitting down at the table.

"What happened to your hand?" Bonnie asked.

"I cut it open doing the dishes," I shrugged. "Nothing serious."

"Well did you go the doctor?" Elena asked.

"No," I shook my head.

"Then how do you know it's nothing serious?" she asked raising her eyebrows. "You should get it checked out before it gets infected."

"You know you and your brother are a lot alike," I said.

"Oh by the way, Riley, keep your Friday night open," Caroline smiled.

"Why?" I laughed.

"Because you have a date," she said simply.

"With who?" I groaned. Now I remember that I promised her she could set me up with someone.

"I can't tell you yet," she shook her head, smiling.

"Fine," I sighed. "But what am I supposed to wear? I don't own any date worthy clothes."

"You can borrow something from me," she offered. "We're practically the same size."

"Thanks Caroline," I smiled.

"No problem," she said. "Come by house around six. I'll also do your hair and make-up."

"So how's things going with your mom?" Jeremy asked me as we were walking home.

"I haven't really been home much," I shrugged. "But when I am home then she's yelling at me for something, anything, she can think of. Like last night she told me to do the dishes and so I did, but apparently I was doing them wrong."

"How do you wash dishes wrong?" he raised his eyebrows.

"You tell me," I said.

"So that's when you cut your hand?" he asked after a few seconds. "Did she do it?"

"What?" I asked shocked. "No! Of course not! It was an accident. I just went to grab a dish in the soapy water and I grabbed the knife by the blade on accident."

"Ok," he nodded.

"Anyways," I said. "I walked away before I started yelling back."

"Well that's a good then," he said. "No need to make the situation worse."

I nodded my head.

"You know you could go easy on me!" I shouted at Jeremy.

We were playing some video game. It was like Black Operations or something like that. And well…I sucked. I couldn't figure out which buttons to press, and when to actually press them.

"No way!" he shouted, shooting at me.

"But I'm on your team!" I argued.

"Too bad!" he laughed. "I showed you how to play. Get with the program."

"No! Wait! Stop it!" I shouted, pressing random buttons. "Hey! I just regenerated! Stop shooting me!"

"And you're dead," he said. "Again."

"Can we play something easier?" I begged.

"Fine," he laughed. "Well play the Lego game. Think you can handle that?"

"Yes," I said stubbornly.

"What are you doing?" he shouted. "Don't go in the water! You'll drown!"

"Now you tell me?" I shouted back. "What do I do? I'm drowning!"

"Press X! Press X!" he said.

"I am! Nothing's happening!" I said. Again I resorted to just pressing random buttons. But then I drowned.

"Don't worry you have silver hearts," he explained. "Don't jump back in the water! Did you learn nothing?"

"I didn't jump! I fell!" I shouted. Then I drowned again.

"How do I use the damn silver hearts?!" I asked.

"They're not weapons!" he laughed. "It just means you have infinite lives."

"Oh," I realized. "Well I give up."

"Alright this is the easiest game I own," Jeremy said holding disc up in front of my face.

"Ibb and Obb," I nodded, reading the cd.

"If you can't figure this out," he warned. "Then I give up on you."

"I can do it!" I promised.

"It's simple," he explained. "All you have to do is stay next to me."

"Ok," I nodded.

"Grab onto me!" he shouted.

"I'm trying!" I said. "The button isn't working!"

"Just press X!" he said. "It works I promise."

"There I'm on!" I exclaimed. "God damn it! You stupid fucking whale!"

The whale ate me.

"Round 12," he sighed. "Just stay close to me."

"I'm trying!" I said. "How are you swimming so fast?"

"Press O," he said.

"Ohhh!" I said. "The whale is coming! Shit!"

Somehow, I managed to grab the engine thingy before Jeremy and I just decided to abandon him and try to save myself.

"Hey!" he shouted. "You can't just leave me!"

"Oh yes I can," I said, determined to swim away from the whale.

"No!" he said. "You can't make it to the next level without me! We have to go together."

"Oh," I realized. "I'm dead anyways."

"That's what you get for abandoning me!" he said.

"Shut up!" I laughed.

Using the controller so much was starting to have its effect on my wounded hand. Damn, it hurt. It was aching a lot and it felt like it was on fire.

"Do you have any ice?" I asked hesitantly. I really didn't want him to freak out.

"Your hand bothering you?" he asked.

"It's just a little sore," I said. Ok, that was a lie. But like I said, I don't want him freaking out.

"I'll put some in a bag," he said getting up.

"Thanks," I said. A few seconds later he brought a small bag of ice and a small towel.

"Perfect," I said grabbing it.

"Do you mind if I look at it?" he asked.

"I really don't want to take the bandage off," I said.

"Alright," he said. "But if it starts hurting more let me know."

"I promise," I smiled. "So when am I getting this pizza you promised me?"

"Ric and Jenna are on their way with it now," he laughed.

"Who and Jenna?" I asked.

"Ric and –" he said. "Mr. Saltzman and Jenna."

"Oh!" I said. "Him! I forgot they're dating."

"Jeremy! Riley!" I heard Elena call as she walked in the front door. "I'm home!"

"We're in here!" Jeremy shouted.

"Great! You're still here!" Elena said to me. "Can I talk to you in my room for a second?"

"Yeah, sure," I nodded and followed her up. "What's up?"

"It's about your date this Friday," she said.

"What about it?" I asked sitting on her bed.

"It's just I know Caroline can be a little pushy," she started. "But she means well. Anyways if you want out of it, I can talk to her."

"No, it's fine!" I laughed. "I actually don't mind. I haven't been on a date in over a year. So this is a good thing. I just hope he's hot."

"If Caroline is doing this, then I can guarantee he'll be hot," she laughed.

"Good," I said. "I was afraid she might set me up with some loser."

"No way!" she laughed. "If there's one thing Caroline succeeds in, it's boys. And clothes."

"Well, thanks for the heads up," I said. "I appreciate it."

"Any time," she nodded.

"Hey before I go," I said. "Do you have any Advil?"

"Why? Is your hand bothering you?" she asked concerned.

"No!" I laughed. "I just have head ache, is all."

"Ok, just one sec," she said and disappeared into her bathroom. She came back out with two pills and handed them to me.

"They're 200 milligrams each," she informed.

"Great, thanks," I said.

"You better get back down stairs before Jeremy calls out a search team for you," she joked.

"Later," I laughed and walked out of her room.

Just as I was walking down the stairs Mr. Saltz- I mean Ric and Jenna walked through the door.

"Hi Riley!" Jenna smiled. "Pizza's here!"

"Yay!" I said. "I'm starving. Hi, Mr. Saltzman."

"Hey!" he smiled. "Umm, you can call me Ric outside of school."

"Ok," I laughed. That's weird.

"About time," Jeremy told me. "I thought I wasn't going to get you back tonight."

"Would that be such a horrible thing?" I laughed. "Then I wouldn't have to sit there let you kill me over and over again."

"Riley? Cheese or Pepperoni?" Jenna asked me.

"Pepperoni please," I smiled.

"Here you go," she said handing me paper plate with a slice of pizza on it.

"Thank you," I said.

"What happened to your hand?" she asked keeping a grip on the plate.

"It's nothing," I tried. "I just cut it open washing some dishes."

"No, she cut it open, grabbing the blade of knife," Jeremy said swallowing his food.

"Shut up! You're not helping!" I said lightly smacking his shoulder. But I'm dumb and I smacked him with my injured hand. And it hurt. But I just bit my lip and kept quiet.

"It's fine," I choked out.

"Yeah," Jeremy nodded. That's why you've had ice on it for the past half hour."

"Seriously Jeremy! Not. Helping," I glared.

"Why don't I take a look at it," Ric offered.

"No! It's fine really!" I argued.

"Riley! Please just let him look at it!" Jenna begged.

"Either you can let me look at it," Ric smiled. "Or you can let a doctor look at it, your choice."

"Fine," I groaned. "Let's go to the bathroom. I don't want anyone's food coming back up."

Sighing, I walked into the hallway bathroom and sat on the toilet seat.

"So how exactly did you do this?" he asked as he began to unwrap the bandage. After he got the first layer of it off, you could see that blood had seeped through.

"I was washing dishes," I explained. "And I went to grab one in the soapy water, but grabbed the blade of a knife by accident."

"Holy shit," he said shocked. "This is really bad."

"It is not," I argued.

"Yes it is! And it's getting infected," he said. "You need stitches. I'm taking you to the hospital."

"What? No! No hospitals!" I shouted, shaking my head.

"Riley! That cut is too deep," he said. "It's not going to heal on its own."

"But-" I tried.

"No buts," he cut me off. "I'm taking you right now. Get your coat."

"Fine," I groaned and stomped away. If he was taking me, he was taking me grumpy.

"How'd it go?" Jenna asked.

"Your boyfriend is mean," I declared.

"What? Why?" she laughed.

"I'm taking her to the hospital," Ric explained.

"Is it that bad?" she asked. He nodded.

"Just let me use the bathroom first," I said after I had put my sweater on.

Quietly I walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

I needed to get out. Now. I hate hospitals. I can't really risk another red flag, too.

The window, I thought. I could squeeze through it. Yep, that's my plan. But I didn't want to be heard so I turned on the faucet. As quietly as I possibly could, I opened the window and climbed through it.

Then I took a deep breath and jumped to the ground.

Almost home free, I thought.

Just as I rounded the corner around the house and was going to go in the opposite direction, someone stepped in front of me.

"Nice try!" Ric said. "Get in the car."

"But I have work!" I tried.

"Then you can call in sick," he said and led me to his car.

"But-" I said.

"No more buts," he said and opened the door.

"Meany," I pouted.

By the time we made it to the ER, I was biting my nails and shaking my leg. I was so freaking nervous. My main problem was the needles. I have a huge fear of needles. Not like a little tiny fear. Like a huge phobia. One time my mother tried to take for a flu shot when I was younger, I barricaded myself in my room. She had to call the fire department to get me off. Even after that I didn't go quietly. I attempted to destroy everything in my path.

She never took me to get another flu shot ever again.

"Stop biting your nails," he scolded.

"How much longer?" I sighed. We'd been in this stupid waiting room for almost an hour.

"Not long," he said. "Just relax. Here use my phone and call work."

"Fine," I said and stood up. I only walked a few feet away because I knew he was watching me like a hawk. After I dialed the number, one of my co-workers answered the phone. All I told them was that I was sick so I wouldn't be there tonight.

"Here," I said handing him back the phone.

"Riley MacPherson," a doctor called.

"Let's go," Ric said and led me into the doctor's office.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Petrelli," he said shaking Ric's hand. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I cut my hand open," I said holding out my palm and pulling back the bandage.

"Oh, wow, that's deep," he noted. "Good thing you came in. What I'll do is give you and injection near it, to numb it. Then I'll stitch up."

"Ok," I sighed. I was really not excited about the shot. Seriously, I was nervous as hell. All I could was stare at the floor and dig my nails into leg as I sat there.

That was one of my many nervous habits. Biting my nails was obviously another. I also would bite my lip and tear the skin off until my lips were bloody and red. I'm not even kidding.

"Alright," Dr. Petrelli said. "You ready?"

"No," I muttered.

Silently, Ric came to sit next to me and held my left hand, the one that wasn't injured.

"Just try to relax," he said.

"Here we go," Dr. Petrelli said.

"Mother f-" I bit back.

God damn it that fucking hurt. Oh my god I want to kill him.

"Riley! Breathe!" Ric snapped. Oh, right, breathing, it's required. I hadn't even realized I had stopped.

"Hey calm down," Ric tried to comfort me. "It's over now."

My entire body was literally shaking and tears were streaming down my face.

"It's ok," he said hugged me. "It's over. No more."

I nodded and wiped away my tears.

"I'll give you a few minutes to relax," the doctor said. "And then I'll stitch it up. But don't worry you won't feel a thing."

"Can you make sure she gets some pain killers for after?" Ric asked.

"Of course," he nodded.

"You doing ok?" Ric asked me.

"Yeah," I nodded. My body was still shaking, but I couldn't help it, even if the pain was gone. My anxiety was just through the roof.

"Elena told me to tell you," Ric said. "If you wanted you can spend the night at her house. Or I can take you home."

"Umm," I sighed, rubbing my head. "Just take me home."

I was extremely tired.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

"No," I shook my head.

"Promise?" he said.

"I promise," I laughed. "Thank you… for caring."

"You're welcome," he said softly.

"But you owe me pizza," I said.

**Author's Note**

Oh my god. Crazy, right? So what do y'all think?

I have to say, the video game scene is probably my favorite, because that's an actual excerpt from my life. Sadly, I am that horrible at video games. Basically, everyone has given up on teaching me.

Anyways, how'd y'all like the whole Ric and Riley scene? Pretty cute, huh? Well there's a lot more where that came from. But just a BTW, there will be no romantic relationship between them. It's going to be basic a more of an older brother/younger sister type of relationship, or even like a step in type of father thing. He's just going to get very protective of her.

Anything specific you'd like to see? Or maybe like a fight scene between Riley and someone or a cute and fluffy scene? Let me know.

Night lovelies!


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